A Ho Ho, a BB gun and a Lakewood convenience store

It must have been a sweet tooth of epic proportions.

Authorities said an 18-year-old walked into a convenience store Sunday and wandered the aisles before asking the clerk if she would sell him a bag of Swedish Fish candy at half price.

The clerk declined, then noticed a package of Ho Hos in the man’s jacket pocket. She threatened to call 911 if he didn’t give them back.

Instead, the man flashed a gun from beneath his jacket and threatened to shoot the clerk, according to court documents. He then took off.

The clerk called police.

Officers spotted a man nearby and approached him. He was eating a pastry, they said.

“The Ho Hos are in my pocket,” the man allegedly told them when they walked up.

A BB gun was found in the bushes.

Pierce County prosecutors charged the man with first-degree robbery. He pleaded not guilty and was jailed in lieu of $75,000 bail.

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 2:28 PM with the headline "A Ho Ho, a BB gun and a Lakewood convenience store."